President Mary McAleese is greeted by Archbishop Alan Harper on her arrival at the General Synod (Photograph: Patrick Harvey)
Patrick Comerford
President Mary McAleese is the first Head of State ever to address the General Synod of the Church of Ireland, and she received a rapturous welcome and a standing ovation in Galway this afternoon.
These are days to relish, days to be very, very grateful for, she said. She praised the Churches for their role in leading the people of the island of Ireland to mutual respect. This is a pivotal or watershed moment in Irish life. She spoke of how we have been released from history’s vanities, and how the context has changed.
But she warned: “What we sow now we will also reap … the seeds of tomorrow’s Ireland are being sown right now by us.”
Recent changes mean old language and old perspectives have become redundant. But she reminded synod members of the riches in parish lives, and the importance of steady and strong leadership. And there is a challenge to find newer and better ways of relating to one another.
“For the first time ever in our history this island has the chance to feel the surging power that comes from working together hand-to-hand,” she said. She talked of the need for collegial and collaborative ways of working with one another. We now needed to use this hard-earned time for the benefit of history. She reminded us of the Gospel challenge to love one another, to forgive one another and to be charitable to one another.
She praised the role of the Churches in working for peace and building cross-border relationships, working as problem-solvers and reminding us that we are part of a bigger and deeper global family.
The things that once paralysed us are now behind us. Now we had to be a light to a world brought down by violence, poverty and disease. “Love does triumph,” she declared.
Ireland is neither Catholic nor Protestant, she reminded us. It is a homeland for all, with a multi-faith heritage in the making.
Earlier, in a humorous aside, she said that on her arrival at the Radisson SAS Hotel in Galway she saw a sign saying “Spirit One Spa” and had the immediate image of the bishops of the Church of Ireland in a hot tub.
“We share very many things,” Archbishop Alan Harper quipped later.
Welcoming the President, the Archbishop of Armagh said she needed to know with what respect she is held within the Church of Ireland. He praised her contribution to dialogue and to hearing disparate voices. Later, he said hoped her presence at the General Synod would be a kairos moment. The Lay Honorary Secretary, Mr Sam Harper, presented the President with a replica of Saint Patrick’s Bell.
Canon Patrick Comerford is Director of Spiritual Formation, the Church of Ireland Theological College. He is an elected representative of the Diocese of Dublin at the General Synod
14 May 2008
‘Challenging times’ in theological education
Philip McKinley and Stephen Dallas of the Hard Gospel Project at the general Synod this morning (Photograph: Patrick Harvey)
Patrick Comerford
The future of theological education and ministry formation came up for discussion at General Synod again this morning when we received the report of the Representative Church Body.
Introducing the report, Mr Sidney Gamble said “these are challenging times for the development of a new Theological Institute … The RCB will have to make available substantial additional funding as the changes now being undertaken in theological training take effect. These changes will have considerable cost implications for parishes and dioceses as well as central church. At this stage I should let you know that at the request of the House of Bishops the concept of situating in Dublin on a single site the functions of clergy training, the library and the administration of central church is currently being explored by the RB [Representative Body].”
He said “the views of various stakeholders have been obtained. Possibilities are now being explored, but this exercise is still at a very early stage.”
Seconding the report, the Archdeacon of Down, the Ven Philip Patterson, described the Ministry Formation Project and the plans for the new Church of Ireland Theological Institute as “one of the most exciting things to happen in the Church of Ireland in recent years.” But he was critical of the way the costs involved had been presented, and predicted they would continue rising.
“Last year we were presented with the vision and currently this vision is being transformed into a reality. Although many details still have to be worked out, one thing is quite clear there are to be cost implications attached to the new project. Page 19 of the report tells us that already in 2008 the allocation for training ordinands has risen from almost €1.3 million to just over €1.6 million a rise of 26%. The likelihood is that this cost is likely to continue to rise and that is quite apart from capital costs, which in a best-case scenario could be neutral, but may not be.
“Some aspects of the project – particularly the internships – still have to be finalised and decisions taken as to where the costs should be charged. The important thing in such a venture is that the ‘new ship’ should not be spoilt for a ha’peworth of tar. It may well be that the general fund cannot bear the full cost of the project. The bishops may have to come to General Synod to ask for an assessment on the wider church to meet the full cost. We should not shrink away from such action.”
He also described the regulations requiring No Smoking signs in churches, particularly churches that are Grade A listed buildings, as “a piece of overkill legislation.”
“Thank you archdeacon,” said the Archbishop of Armagh. “The synod notes the issue by which you are incensed.”
During the debate, Bishop Richard Henderson of Tuam repeated his plea for a “place apart,” which he said was necessary for the development of the spiritual life of the Church of Ireland and our life in the Trinity. It’s a plea he’s made so many times before. But it’s a plea I fear the Church is ignoring ... and ignoring at its peril.
Dr Alan Acheson wanted to know how much the bishops cost the Church. Even the bishops accepted (unanimously) that we should know from next year on.
This morning we also heard about the need to develop a spirituality that is appropriate to environmental change and global warming, about the need for the Church to invest in the young people and in youth work and about our failure in invest in children’s ministry, which the Revd Ted Woods (Rathfarnham, Dublin) described as the foundation for youth work.
“There is no-one doing children’s ministry, even on a part-time basis,” he said, adding that in many parishes Sunday Schools are non-existent while those that do exist are often under-resourced and badly resourced. “Why are we so blind?”
Yet there was ray of hope in that corner when Mr Billy Kingston spoke of the work of the Rev Isabel Jackson in children’s ministry in the Diocese of Cashel and Ossory.
Today in the church calendar we commemorate Saint Matthias in our opening worship and prayed the Collect of the Day:
Almighty God,
who in the place of the traitor Judas
chose your faithful servant Matthias
to be of the number of the Twelve:
Preserve your Church from false apostles
and, by the ministry of faithful pastors and teachers,
keep us steadfast in your truth;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Our worship each morning is being led by the newest member of the House of Bishops, Bishop Alan Abernathy, but their number will be brought back up to 12 with the consecration of Canon Trevor Williams as Bishop of Limerick and Killaloe on Monday 8 September.
Canon Williams got caught in procedures this morning when he missed the opportunity to deliver a speech he had prepared as the seconder to one of the reports. But his voice will be a great addition to the House of Bishops. His work as a broadcaster, journalist and with the Corrymeela Community, and his frontline experience in a demanding Belfast parish, equip him well, in the words of the collect of today, for “the ministry of faithful pastor and teacher … steadfast in your truth.”
Canon Patrick Comerford is Director of Spiritual Formation, the Church of Ireland Theological College. He is an elected representative of the Diocese of Dublin at the General Synod
Patrick Comerford
The future of theological education and ministry formation came up for discussion at General Synod again this morning when we received the report of the Representative Church Body.
Introducing the report, Mr Sidney Gamble said “these are challenging times for the development of a new Theological Institute … The RCB will have to make available substantial additional funding as the changes now being undertaken in theological training take effect. These changes will have considerable cost implications for parishes and dioceses as well as central church. At this stage I should let you know that at the request of the House of Bishops the concept of situating in Dublin on a single site the functions of clergy training, the library and the administration of central church is currently being explored by the RB [Representative Body].”
He said “the views of various stakeholders have been obtained. Possibilities are now being explored, but this exercise is still at a very early stage.”
Seconding the report, the Archdeacon of Down, the Ven Philip Patterson, described the Ministry Formation Project and the plans for the new Church of Ireland Theological Institute as “one of the most exciting things to happen in the Church of Ireland in recent years.” But he was critical of the way the costs involved had been presented, and predicted they would continue rising.
“Last year we were presented with the vision and currently this vision is being transformed into a reality. Although many details still have to be worked out, one thing is quite clear there are to be cost implications attached to the new project. Page 19 of the report tells us that already in 2008 the allocation for training ordinands has risen from almost €1.3 million to just over €1.6 million a rise of 26%. The likelihood is that this cost is likely to continue to rise and that is quite apart from capital costs, which in a best-case scenario could be neutral, but may not be.
“Some aspects of the project – particularly the internships – still have to be finalised and decisions taken as to where the costs should be charged. The important thing in such a venture is that the ‘new ship’ should not be spoilt for a ha’peworth of tar. It may well be that the general fund cannot bear the full cost of the project. The bishops may have to come to General Synod to ask for an assessment on the wider church to meet the full cost. We should not shrink away from such action.”
He also described the regulations requiring No Smoking signs in churches, particularly churches that are Grade A listed buildings, as “a piece of overkill legislation.”
“Thank you archdeacon,” said the Archbishop of Armagh. “The synod notes the issue by which you are incensed.”
During the debate, Bishop Richard Henderson of Tuam repeated his plea for a “place apart,” which he said was necessary for the development of the spiritual life of the Church of Ireland and our life in the Trinity. It’s a plea he’s made so many times before. But it’s a plea I fear the Church is ignoring ... and ignoring at its peril.
Dr Alan Acheson wanted to know how much the bishops cost the Church. Even the bishops accepted (unanimously) that we should know from next year on.
This morning we also heard about the need to develop a spirituality that is appropriate to environmental change and global warming, about the need for the Church to invest in the young people and in youth work and about our failure in invest in children’s ministry, which the Revd Ted Woods (Rathfarnham, Dublin) described as the foundation for youth work.
“There is no-one doing children’s ministry, even on a part-time basis,” he said, adding that in many parishes Sunday Schools are non-existent while those that do exist are often under-resourced and badly resourced. “Why are we so blind?”
Yet there was ray of hope in that corner when Mr Billy Kingston spoke of the work of the Rev Isabel Jackson in children’s ministry in the Diocese of Cashel and Ossory.
Today in the church calendar we commemorate Saint Matthias in our opening worship and prayed the Collect of the Day:
Almighty God,
who in the place of the traitor Judas
chose your faithful servant Matthias
to be of the number of the Twelve:
Preserve your Church from false apostles
and, by the ministry of faithful pastors and teachers,
keep us steadfast in your truth;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Our worship each morning is being led by the newest member of the House of Bishops, Bishop Alan Abernathy, but their number will be brought back up to 12 with the consecration of Canon Trevor Williams as Bishop of Limerick and Killaloe on Monday 8 September.
Canon Williams got caught in procedures this morning when he missed the opportunity to deliver a speech he had prepared as the seconder to one of the reports. But his voice will be a great addition to the House of Bishops. His work as a broadcaster, journalist and with the Corrymeela Community, and his frontline experience in a demanding Belfast parish, equip him well, in the words of the collect of today, for “the ministry of faithful pastor and teacher … steadfast in your truth.”
Canon Patrick Comerford is Director of Spiritual Formation, the Church of Ireland Theological College. He is an elected representative of the Diocese of Dublin at the General Synod
Helping the Church in China after the earthquake
The Church in China urghently needs our prayers, support and contribution in the aftermath of this week’s earthquake (Photograph © Patrick Comerford)
Patrick Comerford
Friends of China are not alone in our horror as the situation in Sichuan unfolds. Chinese churches and Christian agencies, as well as the Chinese government and army, have begun responding to the tragedy after this week’s earthquake.
The quake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale has devastated a region west of the provincial capital Chengdu. The first figures coming out of China said over 20,000 people are dead or wounded in Beichuan County. But those figures are rising rapidly every hour, and that figure could pass 100,000.
The epicentre of the earthquake was in Wenchuan County. With a population of about 110,000, over 60,000 people are still unaccounted for. In Du Jiangyan city, a school with over 1,000 students collapsed. Only 58 have been found alive, and the rest are still missing. Several more school buildings are reported to have collapsed in Wenchuan County. The priority at the moment is to clear roads to the stricken areas, and to provide food and shelter to families who have lost homes.
Caroline Fielder and the staff of the China Desk of CTBI (Churches Together in Britain and Ireland) have been in contact with all the Amity teachers in China. Those in Gansu had some effects from the earthquake, those in Guangxi also felt the earthquake, although the effects were less severe for them; all are safe.
Caroline has also been in contact with Canon Chyeann Soh, who visited Ireland a few years ago and met people from the Dublin University far Eastern Mission and CMS Ireland.
I accompanied Cheyann on a visit to the Churches in China some years ago. He is now studying in Chengdu. Caroline says he is also OK and is currently in Singapore. “Although he has not been able to contact all of his friends, those he has been in contact with are also safe.”
There are many ways to respond effectively to the situation in China at the moment:
1, Prayers:
Please pray for the relief effort, for the army who are working as the first line of defence, for those who have lost or are searching for friends and family, for those made homeless, and for the churches as they seek to minister to those in need.
2, Letters of solidarity to local Christians:
They can be sent to the local Catholic Church through Father Li Zhigang, Catholic Cathedral, 29, Pinganqiao, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610015, PR China. There is no bishop in this diocese at the moment, and Father Li is in charge.
They can be sent to the Protestant Church locally by writing to Sichuan Provincial Council of Church, Three-Self patriotic Movement, No. 19 Si Sheng Ci Street, North Chengdu 610017, Sichuan. Or email: scctspm@sina.com
3, Consider writing to the Chinese Embassy in Dublin to offer condolences at this time of national disaster.
4, Financial support:
Both the Amity Foundation and the Jinde Charities are co-ordinating an emergency response to the disaster in conjunction with their local church networks, local partners and other Chinese NGOs. They both have experience working on emergency relief are initially focussing their efforts on the provision of food and water, medicines, sanitation, quilts and temporary shelters for earthquake victims. They will also offer on-going support as local communities try to rebuild their lives after the devastation that has hit them.
Sending help:
Donations for Amity can be transferred using the following details:
Account Holder: The Amity Foundation;
Address: Bank of China, Nanjing Center Branch, 29# Hongwu Road, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210005, China.
Account Numbers: 0440 0010 5171 2600 0 (for Chinese RMB); 9580 1148 2420 0600 9 (for US Dollar); Swift code: BKCHCNBJ940
Donations for Jinde charities can be transferred through to them using the following details:
Account holder: Beifang Jinde Catholic Social Service Center.
Name of bank: Hongqi Street Branch of the Bank of Communications, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province.
Account number: 131080120018000846082
Address of bank: Hongqi Street Branch of the Bank of Communications, 98 Hongqi Street, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province, PR China
Bank telephone number: +86-311-8303 1017
Swift Code: COMMCNSHSJZ
Address of Jinde Charities:
3, Xuefu Road, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province, PR China;
Telephone: +86-311-8723 1293; Fax: +86-311-8683 1829; e-mail: http://premium.ireland.com/scripts/mail/compose.mail?compose=1&.ob=b56f75a1733e5988e1cbcef9b57190c07984d61e&composeto=info@jinde.org&composecc=&subject=&body=;
http://www.jinde.org/
Prayer points
Some specific prayer points worth considering include:
Give thanks for Premier Wen Jiabao. A geologist by training Premier Wen flew to the scene only hours after the earthquake hit. He has encouraged openness in reporting about the scope of the quake, making it clear that it is far worse than originally thought.
Pray that this sense of openness will ensure that rescue efforts will be effective and will be a good model for neighbouring Myanmar/Burmese leaders to follow, allowing international aid to come in to support the efforts of local NGOs and churches trying to deliver a response to the victims of the cyclone.
Pray for the 1,000 students who were trapped in a collapsing school in Dujiang City. Only 58 have been recovered alive so far.
Pray that rescue teams will be encouraged by finding more students and staff alive and that families and the local community are supported at this devastating time.
The earthquake has happened near a number of chemical factories. Pray that these factories do not pollute the atmosphere as a result of structural damage, thereby exacerbating an already difficult situation.
The area most badly affected by the earthquake is now experiencing heavy rainfall. This is hampering any relief work as roads are impassable and army helicopters are unable to land. Please pray for the rain to stop, so emergency aid can get through.
Pray that the mayor’s request for air drops of tents, food and medicine will be effective and that the urgently needed medical workers will be able to get to the areas where they are most needed.
Canon Patrick Comerford is chair of the Dublin University Far Eastern Mission
Patrick Comerford
Friends of China are not alone in our horror as the situation in Sichuan unfolds. Chinese churches and Christian agencies, as well as the Chinese government and army, have begun responding to the tragedy after this week’s earthquake.
The quake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale has devastated a region west of the provincial capital Chengdu. The first figures coming out of China said over 20,000 people are dead or wounded in Beichuan County. But those figures are rising rapidly every hour, and that figure could pass 100,000.
The epicentre of the earthquake was in Wenchuan County. With a population of about 110,000, over 60,000 people are still unaccounted for. In Du Jiangyan city, a school with over 1,000 students collapsed. Only 58 have been found alive, and the rest are still missing. Several more school buildings are reported to have collapsed in Wenchuan County. The priority at the moment is to clear roads to the stricken areas, and to provide food and shelter to families who have lost homes.
Caroline Fielder and the staff of the China Desk of CTBI (Churches Together in Britain and Ireland) have been in contact with all the Amity teachers in China. Those in Gansu had some effects from the earthquake, those in Guangxi also felt the earthquake, although the effects were less severe for them; all are safe.
Caroline has also been in contact with Canon Chyeann Soh, who visited Ireland a few years ago and met people from the Dublin University far Eastern Mission and CMS Ireland.
I accompanied Cheyann on a visit to the Churches in China some years ago. He is now studying in Chengdu. Caroline says he is also OK and is currently in Singapore. “Although he has not been able to contact all of his friends, those he has been in contact with are also safe.”
There are many ways to respond effectively to the situation in China at the moment:
1, Prayers:
Please pray for the relief effort, for the army who are working as the first line of defence, for those who have lost or are searching for friends and family, for those made homeless, and for the churches as they seek to minister to those in need.
2, Letters of solidarity to local Christians:
They can be sent to the local Catholic Church through Father Li Zhigang, Catholic Cathedral, 29, Pinganqiao, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610015, PR China. There is no bishop in this diocese at the moment, and Father Li is in charge.
They can be sent to the Protestant Church locally by writing to Sichuan Provincial Council of Church, Three-Self patriotic Movement, No. 19 Si Sheng Ci Street, North Chengdu 610017, Sichuan. Or email: scctspm@sina.com
3, Consider writing to the Chinese Embassy in Dublin to offer condolences at this time of national disaster.
4, Financial support:
Both the Amity Foundation and the Jinde Charities are co-ordinating an emergency response to the disaster in conjunction with their local church networks, local partners and other Chinese NGOs. They both have experience working on emergency relief are initially focussing their efforts on the provision of food and water, medicines, sanitation, quilts and temporary shelters for earthquake victims. They will also offer on-going support as local communities try to rebuild their lives after the devastation that has hit them.
Sending help:
Donations for Amity can be transferred using the following details:
Account Holder: The Amity Foundation;
Address: Bank of China, Nanjing Center Branch, 29# Hongwu Road, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210005, China.
Account Numbers: 0440 0010 5171 2600 0 (for Chinese RMB); 9580 1148 2420 0600 9 (for US Dollar); Swift code: BKCHCNBJ940
Donations for Jinde charities can be transferred through to them using the following details:
Account holder: Beifang Jinde Catholic Social Service Center.
Name of bank: Hongqi Street Branch of the Bank of Communications, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province.
Account number: 131080120018000846082
Address of bank: Hongqi Street Branch of the Bank of Communications, 98 Hongqi Street, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province, PR China
Bank telephone number: +86-311-8303 1017
Swift Code: COMMCNSHSJZ
Address of Jinde Charities:
3, Xuefu Road, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province, PR China;
Telephone: +86-311-8723 1293; Fax: +86-311-8683 1829; e-mail: http://premium.ireland.com/scripts/mail/compose.mail?compose=1&.ob=b56f75a1733e5988e1cbcef9b57190c07984d61e&composeto=info@jinde.org&composecc=&subject=&body=;
http://www.jinde.org/
Prayer points
Some specific prayer points worth considering include:
Give thanks for Premier Wen Jiabao. A geologist by training Premier Wen flew to the scene only hours after the earthquake hit. He has encouraged openness in reporting about the scope of the quake, making it clear that it is far worse than originally thought.
Pray that this sense of openness will ensure that rescue efforts will be effective and will be a good model for neighbouring Myanmar/Burmese leaders to follow, allowing international aid to come in to support the efforts of local NGOs and churches trying to deliver a response to the victims of the cyclone.
Pray for the 1,000 students who were trapped in a collapsing school in Dujiang City. Only 58 have been recovered alive so far.
Pray that rescue teams will be encouraged by finding more students and staff alive and that families and the local community are supported at this devastating time.
The earthquake has happened near a number of chemical factories. Pray that these factories do not pollute the atmosphere as a result of structural damage, thereby exacerbating an already difficult situation.
The area most badly affected by the earthquake is now experiencing heavy rainfall. This is hampering any relief work as roads are impassable and army helicopters are unable to land. Please pray for the rain to stop, so emergency aid can get through.
Pray that the mayor’s request for air drops of tents, food and medicine will be effective and that the urgently needed medical workers will be able to get to the areas where they are most needed.
Canon Patrick Comerford is chair of the Dublin University Far Eastern Mission
We cannot take Anglican unity for granted, says Archbishop Neill
The Collegiate Church of Saint Nicholas, Galway, the largest mediaeval parish church still in constant use in Ireland (Photograph © Patrick Comerford 2008)
Patrick Comerford
Saint Nicholas’ Collegiate Church in Galway was a splendid setting on a perfect May evening for last night’s Synod Eucharist. We had a magnificent range of music and settings from the parish choir. Mark Duley gave us everything, from traditional Irish, through Russian Orthodox and monastic plainsong chants to the joys of Palestrina, ending with a joyous recessional with all singing and swaying to African rhythms as Tom Gordon beat the drums.
The careful and joyful choice of music was a good presentation of the unity and diversity that has been fostered and encouraged in his parish by the Rector of Galway, the Very Revd Patrick Towers.
Unity and diversity in parish life are easy to rejoice in. But do we take it for granted in the Church of Ireland? And are we concerned about maintaining the unity and diversity that has long been a hallmark of the Anglican Communion.
These themes were central to the synod sermon preached by the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr John Neill -- one of the finest synod sermons I have ever heard.
Archbishop Neill warned us that we must not take the unity of the Church of Ireland and the unity of the Anglican Communion for granted. “We must ensure that different theological emphases and differing judgments are not allowed to become matters for division,” he said.
He said the Anglican Communion is “going through a very difficult few years.” Referring to this year’s Lambeth Conference, he said: “It is easy to blame our lack oif formal structures to deal with a time of crisis – but this is, of course, part of what it is to belong to a communion of autonomous churches.
“Nevertheless, we are working on an Anglican Covenant which will spell out something of the implications of being both autonomous as churches and being in communion with each other,” he said.
Archbishop Neill also felt the crisis “can be viewed positively. It has enabled us to discover more of what it means to wrestle with the recognition of diversity and the call to unity which is of the very nature of the Church.”
The Collegiate Church of Saint Nicholas is the largest mediaeval parish church in Ireland still in constant use. It was built around 1320 on the site of an earlier church, and local tradition links it not only with Saint Nicholas of Myra – “Santa Claus” – but with Christopher Columbus, who said to have prayed here in 1477, and with Oliver Cromwell, who besieged the city in 1652.
Canon Patrick Comerford is Director of Spiritual Formation, the Church of Ireland Theological College. He is an elected representative of the Diocese of Dublin at the General Synod
Patrick Comerford
Saint Nicholas’ Collegiate Church in Galway was a splendid setting on a perfect May evening for last night’s Synod Eucharist. We had a magnificent range of music and settings from the parish choir. Mark Duley gave us everything, from traditional Irish, through Russian Orthodox and monastic plainsong chants to the joys of Palestrina, ending with a joyous recessional with all singing and swaying to African rhythms as Tom Gordon beat the drums.
The careful and joyful choice of music was a good presentation of the unity and diversity that has been fostered and encouraged in his parish by the Rector of Galway, the Very Revd Patrick Towers.
Unity and diversity in parish life are easy to rejoice in. But do we take it for granted in the Church of Ireland? And are we concerned about maintaining the unity and diversity that has long been a hallmark of the Anglican Communion.
These themes were central to the synod sermon preached by the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr John Neill -- one of the finest synod sermons I have ever heard.
Archbishop Neill warned us that we must not take the unity of the Church of Ireland and the unity of the Anglican Communion for granted. “We must ensure that different theological emphases and differing judgments are not allowed to become matters for division,” he said.
He said the Anglican Communion is “going through a very difficult few years.” Referring to this year’s Lambeth Conference, he said: “It is easy to blame our lack oif formal structures to deal with a time of crisis – but this is, of course, part of what it is to belong to a communion of autonomous churches.
“Nevertheless, we are working on an Anglican Covenant which will spell out something of the implications of being both autonomous as churches and being in communion with each other,” he said.
Archbishop Neill also felt the crisis “can be viewed positively. It has enabled us to discover more of what it means to wrestle with the recognition of diversity and the call to unity which is of the very nature of the Church.”
The Collegiate Church of Saint Nicholas is the largest mediaeval parish church in Ireland still in constant use. It was built around 1320 on the site of an earlier church, and local tradition links it not only with Saint Nicholas of Myra – “Santa Claus” – but with Christopher Columbus, who said to have prayed here in 1477, and with Oliver Cromwell, who besieged the city in 1652.
Canon Patrick Comerford is Director of Spiritual Formation, the Church of Ireland Theological College. He is an elected representative of the Diocese of Dublin at the General Synod
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